Pierre Laszlo discusses Citrus: A History on Tuesday,January 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Nearly 100 million tons of citrus are produced globally every year – from navel oranges and grapefruit to Japanese yuzu and baboon lemons. Walk into your local grocery store and the produce aisle boasts a dazzling array of citrus. Laszlo traces the rise and spread of citrus across the globe: from Southeast Asia in 4000 B.C. through North Africa and the Roman Empire to early modern Spain and Portugal, whose explorers introduced the fruits to the Americas during the 1500s.

Laszlo is a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Liège in Belgium and the École Polytechnique in France. He is the author of numerous works, including Salt: Grain of Life.

Copies of Citrus: A History will be available for sale, and Laszlo will sign copies purchased during the event.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Click here or call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore.